For Immediate Release August 30, 1996
Contact: Karle Maurer, 610-683-1424
Rodale Institute to Hold Permaculture Swale and
Pond Building Workshop
Instructors From Arizona and Austrailia Will Lead Three-Day Seminar
KUTZTOWN, PA: Rodale Institute will hold a three-day workshop on swale and pond building at its 333-acre Experimental Farm October 17 - 19. The course will be taught by permaculture instructors Scott Pittman of Arizona and Doug Dorrough of Austrailia.
Permaculture means "permanence in agriculture," and succeeds in all climates by capturing and managing water that is otherwise lost. Recently, permaculture concepts have been successfully applied to residential landscapes as well.
Farmers, landscape designers and contractors, architects, municipal and civic engineers, and homeowners are invited to learn how to conserve and use water, in a hands-on workshop that will include direct experience recontouring the Rodale Institute Experimental Farm for better water use. New holding ponds and swales (trenches that route rainwater to where it is needed) will be laid out and constructed during the session.
"Most swales today are designed to take water away," explains Anthony Rodale, Vice Chair of the non-profit Rodale Institute and the force behind the workshop. "But eventually, the farmer or homeowner is going to want that water back in a dry time. Permaculture designs hold and use water as many times as possible before it passes out of the property."
The October workshop is a follow-on to the 14-day comprehensive permaculture design workshop which Rodale Institute hosted last April. Water management is the first and most important step to permaculture. Other aspects of permaculture, such as soil improvement, plant selection, aquaculture, and reforesting, are among the plans for future workshops in the series.
"If this is your first exposure to permaculture, it's a great way to start," offers Rodale. "If you get really excited about it, there will be many more opportunities to get involved."
Permaculture workshops are offered throughout the world by certified instructors from the Permaculture Institute, such as Pittman and Dorrough.
The Rodale Institute works with people worldwide to achieve regenerative food systems that renew environmental and human health.
Everyone is invited to enroll in the pond and swale building workshop October 17 - 19. All meals are included in the three-day admission charge of $300. Lodging is available close by. Enrollment is limited. Please call Rodale Institute at 610-683-1424 for information and reservations.
Rodale Institute is an independent, non-profit public charity,
under sections 501(c)3 and 509(a)2 of the IRS code.
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